Bracing devices for joints for the treatment of injuries have been known for a long time. For the treatment of ligament ruptures in the ankle joint, angled splints are attached to the lower leg and the foot by hook-and-loop fasteners in order to fix the joint in a predetermined position.
Furthermore, cuffs are known that are fixed to the limbs adjoining the joint for bracing the joint in a certain movement direction or for blocking such a movement.
EP 0 876 130 B1 has disclosed an orthopedic bracing device in the form of a wrist or ankle joint orthesis, in which a support made of plastic is formed by the injection molding method and it comprises regions of different thicknesses. In order to ensure that it matches the anatomy of the wearer of the bracing device, flexible regions are formed that are thinner than those regions provided for bracing the joint. There are integral locking devices formed on the orthesis for fixing the bracing device to the limbs, and said locking devices are designed as straps with holes, which are pulled through D-rings and hooked into protruding pins. The inside of the bracing device is provided with cushioning. The bracing device itself has hard stabilizing regions.